Listen to the Water | FULL SERIES | Wattys 2022 Shortlist | ✔

(9) Taiki: Follow the Moon

It's probably a mark of how much I've changed that my first instinct is to ask the Karu tribe about their island-village connection rather than any of the three separate Shalda groups present with us here in this corner of Roshaska. Or maybe that's just association. I should probably ask the island village in question, too, but I'll work my way up to that. In the meantime, I want to finish this conversation and get an update from Neem. I can't sleep until I know what the chances are of bringing all these people somewhere safer. I'm probably a lot more tired than I'm feeling right now; I'm still awake and on edge even though it's after dawn, but my thoughts are getting foggy at the edges. I'm sure I'll crash eventually.

I don't want to get sidetracked down more discussions on Karu tribes, so I let out a long breath and sign, "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

Satomi lifts her hands, gets a warning look from Naina, and flings off the half-formed semblance of a swearword before signing, "Yes. When is Ande coming back?"

"She won't be. Not here, probably. I'd have to go back to her."

"And the rest of us?"

"Can stay here or shelter in the stone forest."

"You know who's in the stone forest, right? They've tried to recruit us all before."

The Sandsingers. Oh, the irony of my tribe not knowing exactly how much interaction I've had with Makeba and her group before. "Yes, I know."

"There's nowhere else in the ocean that's safe?"

I'm sure there is, but I'm also not going to give the impression of choice here. I feel a lot less bad about that than I did before this conversation. Now, I'm a lot less patient and a lot more tired. "Not that we know of."

"What's the risk level like out in the three-moon deep?"

"Bad and getting worse."

"The shoals still need to visit an island to breed."

"If they come back."

"They'd better. There's nothing to eat around here."

There is, but I can't let her know that. My silence speaks for itself, though. Satomi eyes me suspiciously. "Are there other things you haven't told us?"

"Yes," I sign shortly. I almost add to that, then drop my hands with a decision to let Satomi do with that what she likes. I figured this all out somehow. I fully believe she can as well.

"So where should we go?"

I drop my face to my hands. "Can you ask me that tomorrow? Just stay here for tonight. Or join the people waiting for the shoals."

"When are you going back to Ande?"

"When I can trust that everyone here is safe."

That silences her. Maybe because it feels like such an impossibility; there's more skepticism in her expression than trust, though that might also be me misreading because I'm suddenly so tired. I give Satomi's further questions—mostly reiterations of the same question, really—shorter and shorter answers until she takes the hint and leaves. Naina doesn't. I look at her wearily. If she starts interrogating me, too, I don't know if I'll have the energy to answer.

She doesn't. "Are you waiting on an answer from him?" she asks, flicking a darkness sign over her tail to indicate Neem. He's the only one here with a darker tail.

I just nod.

"Where does he want to find you again?"

That's actually a good question. Probably back in the main room, but I can't muster the strength to return there just yet. I'm already overwhelmed enough that I'll probably cry.